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The Lucknow Sentinel, 1978-03-22, Page 20a Page 20,--Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesd4, March 22, 1978. Tracks & traits point to cougar BRUCE COUNTY NOW COUGAR COUNTRY? According to some Wiarton area residents, Bruce County may be playing host to one and possibly more cougars. The last sightings of a native Ontario Cougar took place near Creemore in 1884. Residents 20 miles north of Wiarton said they had seen a big cougar on two occasions in late August and. October. A cow and three calves have been killed in the past four months and according to George Williamson, a Wiarton. area farmer, the killings appear to be the work of a cougar. Williamson is a former cowboy who has had experience in the back country of Alberta and British Columbia. Last August farmer Gord West found two calves dead with their entrails eaten. A dead cow was found sitting on its haunches with the mark of a heavy blow on one side of its head. "I know big cats. Eating the guts is a delicacy for them," said Williamson in a story in Ontario Out of Doors magazine by John Wright. Other area farmers have lost livestock in a way similar to the losses suffered by West. Officials at the Ministry of Natural Resources office in Owen Sound claim that the animal that people have seen is likely to be a big bob cat or lynx. Concerning the cattle deaths, a maverick bear has been blamed. No bear has been turned up and even the ministry people seem to find this theory hard to swallow. Williamson said he had seen the cougar a number of years ago while deer hunting but told no one° to protect it from hunters. He told Ontario Out of Doors News that he first knew about the cougar ten years agowhena. father of three boys °told him his. sons had seen a creature which looked like a lion, The Wiarton sighting is not an isolated case. Reports of the sighting of a big cat near Barrie in August were confirmed by natur- al resources officers from the Maple district. The officers would only say thatthe tracks were made by a large cat. They stopped short of calling it ,a cougar, _. One man near Wiarton said he saw something dash through his garden and found what he called huge cat tracks in the soft earth. Photosvof the' prints were•, not, The Employees of Preston Metal & Roofin Products Ltd. (Cambridge) To Dental PIan7 These employees and their families have good reason to smile ... they have the best preven- tive dental plan available today. Everybody agrees good teeth are one of the most impor- tant factors in good_ health. The Blue Cross Dental Plan 7 was designed to provide _basic dental treatment to group subscribers includ- ing such services as examinations, fillings and x-rays, through extractions and anaesthesia. "As your Ontario: Blue Cross representative I am pleased to add my personal welcome, and look forward to serving you along with the many others in this region already enjoying the protection of a variety of Blue 'Cross Plans." Mike Keegan 659 King Street East, Suite 208, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 2M4 (519) 578-4700 CROSS A DIVISION OF THE ONTAPIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION r.n enough to convince officials at the ministry. • According to an Owen Sound cub leader, he trailed the prints of a big cat while snowshoeing in the. winter. He claimed to have found one of the cat's' dens. In late October, Jim Hardman, owner of a farm about 20 miles north of Wiarton saw what he claimed to be a cougar "dark brown in colour andwith a long tail". Returning home to check two calves he had in a back pasture, Hardman found one of them dead with its entrails eaten. The Ministry of Natural Re- sources say it is possible for a cougar to live in the peninsula but they 'say they have no evidence. There are stringent laws pro- tecting the eastern panther. This species, thought to have been extinct in this .part of Canada until a Manitoba sighting a few years ago, was protected by the Ontario Endangered Species Act in March 1977. Not even is farmer can kill one of the animals to protect his property. The law provides a $3,000 fine and or six months imprisonment for anyone killing one of these big cats. A small population of black .panthers has been found living in New Brunswick. They were thought to have been extinct by the time New Brunswick was settled by white men in the early 1800's. 4-H Council BY DENNIS MacGILLIVRAY The last meeting . of the Bruce County 4-H Council was held in the O.M.A.F. office in Walkerton on February 13th. The meeting opened with the 4-11 pledge and roll call followed with members answering to the question = who's your valentine? Dennis MacGillivray is the new press reporter. Thanks to Diane McCormick for all her work as our press reporter since last fall. We decided that there will be a celebration of our mascot's birth- day on April 29th in the Ripley Town Hall. Owasso (our mascot) will be one year old. This will be a dance workshop from 9.00 p.m. to 1.00 a.m. and the music is- going to be supplied by Roy Penning- ton. , The return of West Virginia delegates was mentioned during the course of the meeting. They will be visiting us from the 25th to the 31st ,of July. It was decided . within the council that' leadership projects could be executed by fulfilling some specific requirements des- ignated by our co-ordinator, Ran- dy Willick. These projects will be' open to any council member willing to meet the requirements. Since so much enthusiasm was +r_ 'shown last year for the trip to College Royal, this year again there will be buses going to Guelph. The cost will be $2.00 per person and the date is Sunday, March 12th. A fun day has been planned for March 22nd at the Walkerton District Secondary . School. The time is from 2.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. and we have the use, of three gymnasiums and the cafeteria. The cost? Only $2.00 per person for six hours of fun and great games - volleyball, dodgeball, relays, etc., etc. films, discus- sion, and Kentucky Fried Chicly',. en. Invitations are going to Huron and Perth Counties and hopeful- ly, people who met at the last two years conference will be there. Be sure to come and re -unite with old friends as well as make new ones, The next meeting of the 4-H council will be March 22nd, 12.00 sharp at the O.M.A.F. office in Walkerton. If you're - on the council, we need all the help we can get to make our fun day a success.